Aisleland Paradise

Chapter 22

All hell broke loose in the overwhelmed attorney's office.

"What???" Blurted a taken aback Todd.

"Bullshit!" Screamed an indignant Craig.

"Anna! Stop talking!" Barked a worried James

It was unbridled havoc. Todd acted like he never saw this coming. Craig was furious, absolutely livid. James was attempting to get Anna's attention. Frankie tried in vain to restore order. Anna was quiet, having made her decision and hoping she could move on.

Eventually people ran low on adrenaline and the room began to diffuse itself. Except for Craig. Craig was just getting warmed up. As the other adults in the room regained control of themselves, Craig grabbed a stack of papers and flung them across the room, igniting a blizzard of legal documents.

"This bullshit! Everything about this is bullshit!"

Craig eyed a manila folder bulging with papers on the table but Frankie snatched it before Craig could launch it into orbit.

"It's not fair!!!" Craig was looking for something to throw but couldn't find anything so he kept talking.

"Why Todd? Why? It's ALWAYS Todd! I hate Todd!"

Craig was wild-eyed and shaking. He pointed at Todd, directing all his emotions in Todd's direction.

"I hate you! I HATE you! You get EVERYTHING! YOU get the big company, YOU get Groceryman of the Year ALL THE TIME, YOU get the money, YOU get the fame, YOU get the girl, YOU get the baby, it's always YOU!"

Tears ran down his eyes. He wiped snot from his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"Why can't it ever be Craig? Why not Craig?"

He broke down. Tears began flowing freely, the emotional dam now broken.

"It's not fair. It's not fair." he muttered to himself.

Todd cautiously approached his rival. Craig was openly sobbing, Todd put his arm around Craig's shuddering shoulder.

"All I've ever wanted was to be Todd Schaeffer. But I'm not."

They looked at each other.

"I'd give anything to be you, just for a day. I want to be the coolest guy in town, have everyone tell me how awesome I am, be powerful. I want to be loved and feared and respected. I want to be you Todd..."

Todd chuckled a bit, also starting to get a little emotionally teary eyed.

"Craig, you won't believe this, but I'd give anything to be you for a day too."

"Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not. You think my life is all fun and relaxation? I work 18-hour days, I go weeks at a time without seeing my wife, I'm always exhausted, I can't trust anyone... I'd give anything to hang out in the basement and play video games and just have fun, like it used to be. Back when we were kids, just messing around, just go back for a day to when things were just... simple..."

They both sobbed.

Craig turned towards Todd, Todd turned towards Craig, both looking at each other, hoping that the other would offer to do something which both desired but were unwilling to do.

"Craig, you don't need to try and be someone else. You're Craig Bierderg, everyone loves Craig..."

"Not everyone..."

"Yes. Everyone..."

Their lips touched, softly at first, then deeply, passionately. Their arms wrapped around each other, squeezing each other tightly, each clutching the other so tightly that they became one whole and complete being, both men finally letting go of a lifetime of bottled up love. Their colognes danced in the air to form a wild new fragrance, their stubbly beards scraped against each other like cavemen striking rocks to start a fire. They kissed, they cried, they laughed, they embraced, they finally got to openly express a feeling that they each thought they felt alone, relieved to finally live in a moment they'd both spent their whole lives longing for but could never admit out loud.